Investigation is Ongoing; D.A.’s Office Urges Concerned Parents or Caregivers to Call 212-335-3400

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the indictment of BENVONTAY FOGLER, 27, a youth flag football coach and camp counselor, for soliciting nude and sexual photographs and videos from children he coached, ages 12 to 15, in exchange for cash and gifts. FOGLER is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with multiple counts of Use of and Attempted Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance as a Sexually Motivated felony, in addition to Endangering the Welfare of a Child. [1]

“As alleged, this flag football coach used his access to children to gain their trust and paid them to send him explicit images and videos,” said District Attorney Bragg. “While this case began with an initial report, more survivors came forward with similar accounts. We urge concerned parents and caregivers whose children may have had contact with this individual to call our Special Victims Division at 212-335-3400.”  

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, between June 1, 2023, and October 29, 2023, FOGLER, who worked as a flag football coach in Manhattan, solicited nude and sexual photographs and videos from at least four children he coached using Snapchat. In return, FOGLER paid the children hundreds of dollars via Cashapp, or gave them gifts. In one instance, he paid a child approximately $1,600 for sexual images.

This investigation is ongoing. The Manhattan D.A.’s Office’s Special Victims Division has specially trained professionals who can speak with children and their families in a child-friendly setting. Any parents or caregivers who are concerned that their children may have had contact with FOGLER should call 212-335-3400. The Office highly recommends that parents consult with our specially trained professionals or other child advocacy experts before speaking with their children about the possibility of a crime.

Assistant D.A. Jonathan Junig (Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit) is handling the prosecution of the case with Assistant D.A. Katherine Sullivan, under the supervision of Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division). Human Trafficking Unit Investigative Analyst Kirwan Carey is assisting with the investigation.

D.A. Bragg thanked the Detective Liam O’Hara of the NYPD’s Human Trafficking Squad and Detective Juan Gomez of the NYPD Computer Crimes Detective Squad for their work on this investigation.

Defendant Information

BENVONTAY FOGLER

New York, NY

Charges:

• Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a class C felony, three counts
• Attempted Use of a Child in a Sexual Performance as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a class D felony, five counts
• Promoting a Sexual Performance by a Child as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a class D felony, eight counts
• Endangering the Welfare of a Child, a class A misdemeanor, four counts

###

[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.  All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.